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Day 1 - Scene 7
It was not yet dark, but evening was well under way and the sun had disappeared under the horizon. The sky in the west still burned bright, but over the hill behind him night came creeping and stars would soon come out to play. The tall grass tickled his feet and toes, but nothing cut or stung and while he'd stepped tentatively at first he soon strode with more confidence. Walking barefoot felt strange, but nice. Enar could see himself getting used to it. The family burrow with it's front porch lay just a little bit down the hill. Surrounded by a wooden railing hung with flowers and lanterns the wooden deck was a brightly lit island in the darkening orchard. Little colored lamps still burned among the trees below, but they were mainly decorations and did not provide much light. On the porch a happy chaos reigned as children of all ages and sizes dressed a large table for dinner. A short, very round woman with long black hair kept a watchful eye over the proceedings. As Enar arrived she scowled and indicated a large wicker chair that hung suspended from one of the long wooden crossbars running over the deck. “There you are. Sit down and stay out of the way.” Without waiting to see if he obeyed she turned her attention back to her children and proceeded to oversee the preparations for the meal. Slightly intimidated Enar crossed over to the chair, barely dodging Elsie as she ran by with a stack of plates. He felt a little uncomfortable doing nothing while everyone else ran their legs off, but if the matron of the burrow wanted him out of the way he'd not make a nuisance of himself on his first evening already. “Dad said to bring this to you.” It was Linus, the boy who'd met him down at the gate and who'd carried his luggage up the hill. In his hands, stretched out as far as possible from his face was a clay cup with a dark brown liquid. “It smells weird but dad says it's good for you. He says it will cure what ails you.” The last few words were said slowly and with care, as if he knew they were important but not what they meant. “Thank you Linus. I'm sure this is just what I need.” Enar had his doubts but tried to smile gratefully as he took the cup from the kid's outstretched hands. The liquid smelled of whisky and apples and a quick sip revealed that it was very strong. Feeling his face flush he took a deep breath and nodded at the boy. “Yes, this was exactly what I needed. Your dad is a clever man.” “Linus! Stop bothering poor Enar and go help your dad in the kitchen.” “Dad also said not to worry about mom. He said she barks worse than she bites.” His mother yelled at him again and with a mischievous grin Linus ran off and disappeared through the front door of the burrow. Leaning back into the chair, gently rocking back and forth, Enar took another sip. The drink wasn't bad. He'd never been a fan of whisky but maybe he could learn to appreciate it. It wasn't that bad. The strong liquid burned as it went down, but he could feel his body relax and before long he was smiling happily to himself as he watched the preparations for the meal. --- Continued in Day 1 - Scene 7 - Part 2. Back to Enar's Vacation.